Which is safer for your kids plastic sippy cups or stainless steel?
If you’re a parent who uses plastic bottles or sippy cups for your babies or toddlers you may have noticed the way that the liquid in the cup often sticks to the inside of the bottle or sippy. I know I have had a hard time scrubbing the inside of a bottle trying to get the formula to not leave a residue inside. You may not be aware but this is because the bottle is plastic and therefore the liquid is absorbed by the plastic. Properties of the liquid itself can actually stick to and stay in the plastics making your “clean plastic cup or bottle” well, not necessarily “clean”.
In addition to this the plastics themselves often contain chemicals that are dangerous and can leak into the contents of the bottle or cup being harmful to your child. The reality is as a parent of babies or small children you want to be especially mindful of what you are giving them to drink from. Not all plastics are safe. BPA free plastics are safer than others, but even still there are alternative drinking materials that can be used with your child that would provide you a “worry free” container for your child to drink from, such as stainless steal or glass.
Stainless steel is easier to clean, and does not ever transfer chemicals or soak up the properties of what is put inside. They also tend to keep cold things cold and warm things warm better than plastic. Stainless steel is a smarter, safer choice than plastic for your baby or toddler.
I am often asked what the legal age is for a child to stay home alone. If you ask the police they will tell you there is not a legal definition. I was told by an officer that the MINIMUM age suggestion is 10 years old
STAY HOME ALONE: I am often asked what the legal age is for a child to stay home alone. If you ask the police they will tell you there is not a legal definition. I was told by an officer that the MINIMUM age suggestion is 10 years old IF the parent is certain the child is mature enough to handle any situation that might arise. However, even if the child is 15, if they do something illegal, the parent can be charged with non-supervision of a minor. As parent it is our job to protect our children. Children feel more secure with other people. So if you are going to leave your 10 year old home alone I suggest the following
1. Have discussion with them about the expectations and what is and not allowed by them.
2. Have them take a class at your park district on safety when home alone
3. Quiz them on the “what ifs” so you are certain they know how to handle any given situation
4. Only leave them for short periods of time (less than an hour) at this age.
5. I do not think a 10 year old should ever be left home alone for a whole day. It is not fair to them. It is better to get them into a class, or have them go to a friend, or hire a sitter.
6. Children should not be left home alone at night or while sleeping ever. Make sure a responsible adult is present.
WATCHING SIBLINGS: I was told by the same officer that the minimum age a child should be left alone to watch a younger sibling is 11 year old. And again that is only if the child is mature enough to handle it. And should only be for short periods of time (an hour or 2 at most). I was told this week about a 10 year old that was being required to stay home all day watching her younger siblings while mom works. This is not safe and not fair. A 10 year old is a child, not an adult. If we as parents need full day child care we need to hire an adult or older teen. As a mom of 4 grown kids, I can tell you that my oldest daughter said it was much easier babysitting other people’s children than watching their own kids. An older sibling does not have the authority with their siblings. I personally think the age for watching siblings should be 14 not 11.
BABYSITTING: The same officer told me the minimum age for babysitting other children is age 12, if the child is mature enough to handle the situation. Before I allow my 12 year old to sit I enrolled her in a babysitters class at the park district. This helped her prepare for many situations. In the beginning I had her do her babysitting at my home so I could watch how she interacted with the children. It was a great learning time for her and I. Then slowly she started sitting in others homes for short periods of time. At age 12 4 hours is probably the limit for how long they should sit at one time. As the parent of the sitter it is up to you to decide what your child can handle. Personally I do not think a 12 year old should have to work an 8 hour day without breaks and some help.
ALONE OUTSIDE: Another question I often get is, “When is my child old enough to pay outside alone?” I personally think a child should not be outside unsupervised before age 10. Of course, in their own fenced back yard is different. We continue to see mall children ages 3-5 alone out playing on the street without supervision. It is a scary ime to be allowing that. When my kids are over age 10 and playing outside I still require them to be with a buddy, never out alone.
WAITING IN THE CAR: I would suggest the same age 10 minimum for letting kids sit in the car waiting for you. Again that is if they are mature and know how to handle the situation. The car door should be locked. And they should not be left in a hot car. I had a friend leave her sleeping child in the car while going into a restaurant to pick up food. The child was in the parents view the whole time. A police officer came by and told her she could be charged for leaving the child even that long.
These are simply my suggestions for child safety as a mom of 4 and a nana of 3. We want to keep our kids safe. And the world today is not as safe as the world we grew up in. Lets be responsible and keep our kids safe.
CPSC to Enforce New Requirements for Children's Products
CPSC to Enforce New Requirements for Children’s Products
– Gifts & Decorative Accessories, 8/13/2009 1:41:00 PM
Washington, DC – On August 14 the Consumer Products Safety Commission will begin enforcing new requirements of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act.
The limit for lead in children’s products drops from 600 parts per million (ppm) to 300 ppm in any part (except electronics) that is accessible to children. The limit for lead in paint and similar surface-coating materials for consumer use drops from 600 ppm to 90 ppm.
Manufacturers must place permanent distinguishing marks (tracking labels) on any consumer product primarily intended for children 12 and younger made on or after August 14.
My daughter has 3 month old twin boys and a garden full for fresh produce. So she decided to save money and make baby food for the boys during this season. If you have babies, this garden season might be the best time to start making your own baby food as well.
My daughter has 3 month old twin boys and a garden full for fresh produce. So she decided to save money and make baby food for the boys during this season. If you have babies, this garden season might be the best time to start making your own baby food as well.
When making baby food from free produce from your garden or given to you by others, the cost factor is easy. If you are buying produce do the math to find the best option for your family. When buying look at bulk stores (like costco) and fresh produce stands for better prices.
My daughter has grown green beans, peas, carrots, zucchini and plums. She recently bought peaches and sweet potatoes as well. She has turned all of those into baby food frozen cubes for the boys. Most require peeling, cooking, pureeing and then freezing. She is using ice cube trays for the freezing. If you are looking for safe plastics our BABY CUBES baby food cube trays are BPA-free, phthalate-free, and totally safe.
For the pureeing a food processor works very well. If you want to make baby food on demand from your home cooking then our WEAN MACHINE personal baby food maker is the answer. It allows you to press and feed in the same container.
There are a number of great websites on making healthy baby food yourself. My daughter uses http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/ to find recipes and tips for each of the foods she is making.
I am really proud of my daughter for stepping out and trying this. With 3 children under of 3, I am not sure how she finds the time. However I hear in her voice how good it makes her feel to accomplish making some food each days for her babies.
Would you be willing to learn and then teach your baby sign language? Why you may wonder? Well, the fact is that baby sign language is a great way to communicate with your baby even before they learn to talk.
We all want the best for our babies. Most parents will go to great lengths for their little bundle of joy. Would you be willing to learn and then teach your baby sign language? Why you may wonder? Well, the fact is that baby sign language is a great way to communicate with your baby even before they learn to talk.
Babies want to communicate but before they discover their voice their ability to communicate is limited. That’s where sign language comes in. Teaching your baby sign language is a great way to give them the ability to communicate before they talk.
There are some additional benefits that studies have found which include:
Babies who learn to sign experience less frustration than babies who do not.
Babies who learn to sign are shown to develop a larger vocabulary.
Babies who learn to sign are shown to speak earlier than babies who do not.
These are amazing benefits that make teaching your baby to sign worth it. The process is actually quite simple and a natural process that goes along with a baby’s natural gestures. You want to teach one sign at a time and build upon them as you go.
As a business you may need to both BUY and SELL wholesale. I often get asked questions about how to start wholesale buying and selling. So this article will outline what businesses need to do in order to BUY wholesale. It will also discuss how to SELL wholesale if you make your own products.
As a business you may need to both BUY and SELL wholesale. I often get asked questions about how to start wholesale buying and selling. So this article will outline what businesses need to do in order to BUY wholesale. It will also discuss how to SELL wholesale if you make your own products.
BUYING WHOLESALE
NEW IN BUSINESS: If you are a new business that wants to BUY wholesale I suggest you do the following:
1. Register your business name with your state. I did mine online at OREGON.gov.
2. Get a tax resellers number so you can collect sales tax in your state.
3. Get a free EIN#. It is free and you do not have to have employees to get it. It gives you a number to use in business rather than giving your social security number out. http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=102767,00.html
4. Get a separate business checking account. Keep business separate from personal money.
5. Get a separate credit card to use only for business product purchases. Find one that gives reward points.
6. Check to see if your city requires a business license even if working from home. MOST do now.
With those things done most all manufacturers and distributors should sell to you. Be aware that if your business is in your home some will not sell to you. A few require a brick and mortar store front. UPS will not give you business rates for shipments to your home either. I worked from home for 7 years then found I could not comply with the city home business rules any longer so moved to a retail location. Our city limits the amount of square footage a home business can use plus limits how many deliveries and pickups for business in any given week for a home based business. Now I get true business UPS rates and can buy some products wholesale that had not been available to me before. Make sure you business is legal with your city and county. It is not worth getting closed down if you do it without the right licenses and permits.
SELLING WHOLESALE
PRICING: Rule of thumb is if you want to sell wholesale then your cost plus labor times 2 equal WHOLESALE. Wholesale times 2 equals RETAIL. So if an item costs you $5 to make including if you paid labor to have it done. Then the wholesale price should be $10 and the retail price should be $20. However the only way to do that is to get your own supplies at the best wholesale price and to make large enough batches to keep labor costs reasonable.
MANUFACTURER vs DISTRIBUTOR: Most manufacturers sell at 50% off retail. A distributor that does not make the product sells at 25-40% off retail. Drop shippers usually sell at 10-30% off retail. Manufacturers usually have higher minimums and requirements to buy from them. Distributors are usually easier to get an account with if you are a small retailer. Some manufacturers require a brick and mortar store to get an account with them.
PACKAGING: If you are selling both retail and wholesale then the packaging should NOT include your website URL. That becomes a conflict for other retailers. Some manufacturers do it but it hurts the retailers you are selling to. I recommend having your company copyright and business name but not your URL.
WHO DO YOU SELL TO: When I sell wholesale to others I do my best to make certain that they are legally eligible to buy wholesale. If you do not set some parameters then you find individual customers trying to buy from you for personal use at those prices. Wholesale is for those buying product to resale in their business. So require them to give you a business name and address, plus either a tax resellers number or EIN#. Check with your own state to see what they require if you sell wholesale. Many manufacturers will require proof of business and tax number be faxed in with their application.
MINIMUMS: Most all manufactures require minimum orders to keep individual from buying for personal use. You can either set a minimum dollar amount per order ($100 or more), or minimum per item (buy in case lots), or both. Some of my manufacturers have a $500 minimum each order plus a case minimum for each item. Distributors usually have lower minimums.
Since I am the manufacturer of my Child ID Kits I sell those wholesale at 50% off retail. My other 100 plus products I am a distributor. Those itmes I sell wholesale at 25% off retail. I charge a minimum of $100 per wholesale order but do not have a per item minimum. That way, small retailers can buy only a couple of each item to use and trial samples when deciding which of my items they want to sell. I recommend looking at manufacturer/distributors best sellers list when deciding which items to carry from their stock. My wholesale program is described at http://www.mypreciouskid.com/wholesale.html
I am not an expert in this subject. And you will find businesses who buy and sell wholesale differently than outlined above. These are simply my best practice suggestions after 8 years in business both buying and selling wholesale. I hope they will be helpful to you in yo9ur business journey.
Balloons, children seem to fascinated by them and truly love them, however they can be a dangerous thing to have around if not properly supervised by an adult. Balloons, especially the rubber ones can be harmful to children in several ways including: the string that is often attached to the balloon, the strong force that a balloon creates when popping, as well as the fact that a balloon can easily be sucked down a child’s airway.
Many times these balloons when filled with helium are tied with a string to help the child to hold onto it. Small children aren’t aware of the danger that is associated with this string. They can easily get it tangled around their neck and strangulation can result. In addition, children often times like to wrap the string around their finger or arm as a means by which to hold onto the balloon however, this can cause restricted blood flow to the child’s body part.
Balloons are also prone to popping. Children often times like to put the balloons in their mouths and are fascinated by the sound the rubber makes when between their teeth, however the sharpness of their teeth can easily pop the balloon and the force of the balloon can be harmful to their faces.
Finally, children will often times try to blow up a deflated balloon and not understanding how it works can easily suck the rubber down their throats blocking their airways.
As you can see balloons can be extremely dangerous for children and should be monitored closely if given to them to play with.
I found a sweet ministry at http://www.mollysbabies.org/ in memory of her granddaughter who died of SIDS.
I found a sweet ministry at http://www.mollysbabies.org/ in memory of her granddaughter who died of SIDS. She is looking for names of little girls who do not have a doll and would like one. And she is taking donations of gently used dolls and clothes. Please consider submitting a name or sending a donation.
Could you also help by placing a link to her ministry on your site or blog or twitter or Facebook please?
However we have learned that you can do a few things that will greatly reduce your children SIDS risk.
I just heard that a high school friend lost is 9 month old grandson to SIDS this past weekend. I have another friend who lost her newborn son to SIDS while they were still in the hospital 3 years ago.
I am not an expert in SIDS but have learned that
1. SIDS can hit between 0-12 months of age
2. SIDS can not be prevented
However we have learned that you can do a few things that will greatly reduce your children SIDS risk.
1. BACK TO SLEEP – always lay your baby on their back to sleep (never side or tummy) on a firm mattress. SIDS rate dropped from 1.301 per 1000 10 1979 to 0.543 per 1000 in 2005 after the BACK TO SLEEP campaign. That is a 40% reduction.
2. BINKY – Give them a binky when they go to sleep each night. WIKI says pacifier use reduces SIDS by 90%. It also may help keep the child from rolling their face into the mattress.
3. FAN – Have a fan going in their room. The airflow helps. WIKI says fan use reduces SID by 72%. Only 3% of SIDS deaths had a fan in their room.
4. BREASTFEED – Breastfed babies have a 50% lower SIDS rate than non-breastfed babies according to WIKI.
4. BLANKETS – never use blankets in the crib until 12 months of age. Use sleep sacks or a swaddle that Velcros shut. Bumper pads should also not be used with infants.
While we still do not know what casues SIDS they are learning more all the time. As a mom and a grand mother I am working to educate parents on these 5 tips that greatly reduce their childs SIDS risks.
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As a business you may need to both BUY and SELL wholesale. I often get asked questions about how to start wholesale buying and selling. So this article will outline what businesses need to do in order to BUY wholesale. It will also discuss how to SELL wholesale if you make your own products.
Balloons, children seem to fascinated by them and truly love them, however they can be a dangerous thing to have around if not properly supervised by an adult. Balloons, especially the rubber ones can be harmful to children in several ways including: the string that is often attached to the balloon, the strong force that a balloon creates when popping, as well as the fact that a balloon can easily be sucked down a child’s airway.